It is no news by now that the English Premier League has been officially scheduled to restart on June 17th after a sudden halt months ago in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. However, fans will not be allowed to crowd the various stadia around England like before for safety purposes. And as any football fan knows, it is the crowd that always gets to set the atmosphere of every game.

Well, it seems like Sky Sports is not about to give that up anytime soon and will be simulating virtual crowd noise for the viewers. Interestingly though, the TV sports channel is working with EA Sports’ FIFA division to create these simulated chants and cheers designed for specific teams.

According to Sky Sports, the goal is to replicate “the vibrant atmosphere of Premier League clashes”. Luckily, this will be optional for viewers as they will be able to choose whether to watch with the added sound effect or without.

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Watching live sports without the constant loud background chants and cheering is undoubtedly a weird experience. The last few matches of the UEFA Champions League as well as the first few games of the Bundesliga did receive criticism all over due to the bizarre atmosphere they oozed in an empty stadium.

But it seems that various groups are trying to find ways to bring back the experience even without the fans being physically there. Denmark’s Superliga club AGF Aarhus saw a match where fans were able to Zoom in and be projected around the stadium as the teams played. How Sky Sports’ efforts will be received can only be known till the first match is aired live on the 17th.

Additionally, the fans will be able to interact with each other via Sky Sports’ website and app in a video room. This, according to the press release, will allow fans to “influence the crowd noise they hear on screen.”